1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direct application brush assembly having a plethora of applications, including those involving pets, domesticated animals, horses and livestock for grooming, as well as washing inanimate objects, such as cars, or other items. The brush assembly is provided with a flow regulator and lightweight hose or tube for fluid delivery onto fur or hair or onto a surface to be cleaned or treated; and more specifically to a brush assembly which, during brushing or treatment, releases fluid fed through a hose or tube associated with a flow regulator through a first chamber and a liquid solution such as soap is appointed to be released from a second chamber, wherein the liquid solution includes active ingredients appointed to be delivered through the brush and released onto the surface, fur or hair. Active ingredients delivered through the liquid solution include therapeutic or moisturizing compounds, antibacterial compounds, medicaments, insect repellant, flea and/or tic compounds, hair-conditioning and detangle products, hair shampoo, soap, fragrances or other hair-related products for pets and people, sun protection lotions, mane and tail whiteners for animals, as well as stain removers, dye compositions, waxes or cleaning products for inanimate objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many patents address issues related to brush designs having a number of bristles adapted to provide desired brushing action. Brushes for pets, horses and livestock typically incorporate harsh bristles, while those for humans are typically provided with softer bristles. Several patents disclose coating bristles with desired compositions in order to deliver these compositions to the brushed hair.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,076 to Meyer discloses a method and forming tool for the fabrication of a bristle support for a brush. The method involves attaching pin-like bristles to a bristle support or carrier for a hairbrush. In a first step the rows of bristle pins are interconnected with one another at their rear end by means of a web. The individual bristle pin rows are retained in their position by the web. In a next step the bristle pins, at the region of their rear ends, together with the webs, are cast in the material of the bristle support, so that the bristle pin rows are embedded in the bristle support. In this method, the bristle support or carrier is incapable of delivering perfume or other active compositions to the hair or fur being brushed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,491 to Ikemoto discloses a hairbrush adapted to prevent static charging of the bristles and hair. It has a multiplicity of small holes formed in a conductive brush base that carries a row of antistatic members. The antistatic members are relatively stiff. They are prevented from bending down, and render the brush easy to draw through hair, thereby facilitating smooth brushing. The conductive brush base is solid. It cannot deliver perfume or other active compositions to hair or fur, but merely eliminates the static present in the hair and bristles by conducting charges that are present.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,426 to Kellett, et al. discloses a hydrophilic foam pad for hair styling. The hair conditioning and styling pad has a shaped body of a resilient, open-celled, hydrophilic polyurethane foam matrix integrally incorporating an aqueous phase incorporating about 70-90% water, about 5-25% of a hair conditioning agent, and a nonionic surfactant. The bristles or tines of a brush contact the resilient pad and transfer the aqueous hair styling composition to the brush so that the composition is subsequently transferred to the hair as it is being styled. This styling device requires periodic contact with the resilient pad to recharge the bristles, and does not by itself deliver perfume or other active compositions to hair or fur.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,099 to Staller, et al. discloses a therapeutic groomer. This hand-held grooming device grooms, massages, and provides magnetic therapy for animals. The device has a base that is configured to be hand-held. On the base, there is formed a grooming pad having projections adapted for grooming and massaging. The grooming pads are formed by either a plurality of parallely arranged strips, each having magnetic properties, or a single magnetic sheet. Each strip has its magnetic poles aligned uniformly so that its longitudinal ends are polar opposites. The therapeutic groomer does not deliver soap, shampoo, perfume or active compositions to the hair or fur being groomed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,450,127 and 6,543,388 to Willinger, et al. disclose an ergonomic handle for a grooming brush. This brush handle is formed with a continuously arched upper surface portion and a lower surface portion separated by a humped semicircular ridge. One of the lower arched portions forms a trigger grip for a single finger held in either a forehand or backhand grip. The handle is covered with a high friction material in the form of a contoured rubber or elastomeric sleeve, which is stretched over a molded plastic handle. These patents relate only to the shape of a handle of a hairbrush and do not disclose a brush that delivers soap, shampoo, perfumes or other active ingredients to brushed hair or fur by way of flow regulation of fluid fed into a cavity within the brush.
A hairbrush commercially marketed by JW Pet Company (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) incorporates an ergonomic handle disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,450,127 and 6,543,388. It uses a polymeric molded closed elliptical cavity which includes a thick elliptical rubber element carrying multitudes of metallic bristle pins with rounded tips. The distal end of the bristle pins opposed to the rounded tips carries nail heads, which rests against and are glued to a thick rubber element using rubber cement or similar glue. The bristle pins in the rubber element form an air leak-tight seal. The elliptical rubber element has a single hole appointed for discharging air. This elliptical rubber element with attached pins is squeezed into the closed elliptical cavity of a polymeric molded brush and the rubber element adopts a concave shape with the pins sticking out in a non-planar configuration. During use, pressure is applied to the pins in the middle portion of the elliptical rubber element of the brush. The air entrapped in the cavity formed by the rubber element and elliptical cavity is squeezed by the pressure applied, thereby providing a springy feel, while the entrapped air is released through the single hole present in the elliptical rubber element. This brush has a single air outlet and discharges air entrapped in the elliptical cavity of the brush. It has no means available for delivering soap, shampoo, perfume or other active ingredients to the brushed hair or fur.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,174 to Lee discloses a hair grooming brush having a plurality of rows of curved wavy bristles, rather than traditional straight bristles commonly found on brushes and combs. The curvature of the bristles produces springiness to the bristles when pressure is applied during the combing action. The springiness of the numerous rows of bristles translates into a massaging effect upon the hair and scalp. The brush does not include a brush base with a plurality of apertures for delivery of soap, shampoo, perfumes or other active compositions to the hair or fur being brushed.
A hairbrush commercially marketed under the trade name RapidBath® found at http://www.petproductadvisor.com/store/mc/rapid-bath 6.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews 001et&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RapidBath6&utm_content=DC-20090924 discloses a containment device for receiving a shampoo solution which is connected to a hose. As water passes through the device is comes into contact with the shampoo and the shampoo and water are sprayed onto the pet. The RapidBath® does not have a water flow regulator and therefore the spray force cannot be controlled. Consequently, an anxious or nervous pet would instantly become upset or concerned when the water is sprayed from the device. Any attempt to utilize the device near the animal's face is thwarted due to the lack of pressure control exhibited by the device. Due to the resultant high velocity of the water pressure, the device could not be used on a small animal, such as a cat. Moreover, the RapidBath® device simply attaches to a hose and sprays water and shampoo solution onto the animal. The device does not include bristles and therefore is neither structured nor operates as a brush. As a result, the shampoo/conditioner/treatment will never penetrate through to the skin of the animal and will be vulnerable to leaving a layer of residue on the animal's coat. Because there are no bristles or appendages on the device, there is no massaging, no stimulating, and no real penetrating the skin layer at the follicle level of the coat.
There remains a need in the art for an easy to use brush assembly having application in cleaning/treating inanimate surfaces, such as cars, and/or for grooming people and animals, particularly domesticated pets and/or horses and livestock, that continuously delivers fluid directly to the surface of an inanimate object, or to an animal's hair, mane, and/or fur. Specifically, there is a need in the art for a brush assembly providing a brush base fitted with an interchangeable base plate, having a bladder attached to a flexible tube in communication with a flow regulator upstream for controlled fluid delivery through a centralized portion of the brush base. There remains a need in the art for a brush assembly that is further equipped with a secondary chamber adapted to hold a liquid solution containing active ingredients, including one or more active ingredients, such as shampoo, soap, conditioner, treatment containing a medicament, perfume or other active compositions, appointed for continuous delivery to the surface of an inanimate object, or to the hair, mane, and/or fur of animals, or to a hard substrate such as a land vehicle, marine craft or aircraft, household surfaces and the like. Additionally, there remains a need in the art for a brush assembly having an ergonomical handle containing a textured finger and palm grip so that the handle is ambidextrous in nature and can be used comfortably and interchangeably by left and/or right handed users.